NEETZoologyBiotechnology - Principles and Processes
Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can amplify a single copy of a DNA segment to approximately one billion copies in 30 cycles. Reason (R): During each cycle of PCR, the amount of the target DNA increases in an arithmetic progression. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate a
Options
- ABoth (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
- BBoth (A) and (R) are correct but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
- C(A) is correct but (R) is not correct
- D(A) is not correct but (R) is correct
Correct answer
C. (A) is correct but (R) is not correct
Step-by-step solution
Assertion (A) is correct. According to NCERT, if the process of replication of DNA is repeated many times, the segment of DNA can be amplified to approximately 1 billion times, i.e., 1 billion copies are made at the end of 30 cycles. Reason (R) is incorrect. The amplification of DNA in PCR follows a geometric (or exponential) progression, not an arithmetic progression. In each cycle, the number of DNA molecules doubles (following the relation 2^n ), leading to exponential growth. Answer: (A) is correct but (R) is n